…Murphy paints a watercolor portrait as expansive as the ocean near the small beach town of Eulogy, Miss., where her teenage protagonist searches for identity, love and connection…Issues of class and race figure prominently, but that does not weigh down Ramona's story of braving the emotional waters of close relationships.

04/03/2017
There are two things Ramona knows: she likes girls, and she’s the responsible one in her family, especially now that her sister, Hattie, is pregnant. The girls’ mother left their coastal Mississippi town after Hurricane Katrina, they live in a trailer, and Ramona is juggling multiple jobs. As the book opens, Ramona is starting her senior year; with Grace, the tourist she has been dating, leaving, there isn’t much to look forward to. Then Ramona’s childhood friend Freddie moves back to town, and his grandmother adds Ramona to their YMCA membership. It turns out that Ramona has potential as a swimmer—as well as unexpected feelings for Freddie. In Eulogy, Miss., Murphy (Dumplin’) creates a place that feels deeply real, a Gulf Coast vacation town that’s racially and economically diverse: Ramona is white and poor, Freddie is black and middle class, and the biggest divide might be between the year-round residents and the summer visitors. It’s a great setting for a coming-of-age story, as Ramona realizes that she’s capable of more than she imagined and that some categories are more fluid than she’d thought. Ages 13–up. Agent: Molly Jaffa, Folio Literary Management. (May)

★ “An exquisite, thoughtful exploration of the ties that bind and the fluidity of relationships, sexuality, and life.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ “Julie Murphy knows a thing or two about navigating the worlds of girls on the brink of self-discovery.” — Booklist (starred review)

“A must-have work that will resonate with teens” — School Library Journal

“Julie Murphy delivers a fresh and glorious love story that addresses all the complexities of one’s heart. Ramona Blue’s discovery of limitless love is total beauty.” — Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not

“Ramona Blue is Julie Murphy’s best book yet. It’s hilarious, it’s heartfelt, and it’s so, so real. I just wish I’d had this book to read during my own teen years!” — Robin Talley, New York Times bestselling author of Lies We Tell Ourselves

“Murphy creates a place that feels deeply real…a great setting for a coming-of-age story, as Ramona realizes that she’s capable of more than she imagined and that some categories are more fluid than she’d thought.” — Publishers Weekly

“In a wonderful, complicated way, Ramona Blue turns the queer coming-of-age trope on its head.” — Brightly

In a wonderful, complicated way, Ramona Blue turns the queer coming-of-age trope on its head.

Julie Murphy delivers a fresh and glorious love story that addresses all the complexities of one’s heart. Ramona Blue’s discovery of limitless love is total beauty.

Ramona Blue is Julie Murphy’s best book yet. It’s hilarious, it’s heartfelt, and it’s so, so real. I just wish I’d had this book to read during my own teen years!

★ “Julie Murphy knows a thing or two about navigating the worlds of girls on the brink of self-discovery.

In a wonderful, complicated way, Ramona Blue turns the queer coming-of-age trope on its head.

Praise for DUMPLIN’: “I’m obsessed with this book. Wickedly funny, heartbreakingly real, full of characters to love and cheer for. DUMPLIN’ is such a star.

Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Genuine, romantic, and with a dash of Texan charm, this is a novel that celebrates being who you are while also acknowledging that it’s incredibly difficult to do.

Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Julie Murphy weaves together a tender and funny tale of love, friendship, heartache, and redemption. SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY explodes with brutal honesty, brilliant wit, and unflinching heart.

Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “It’s equal parts fun, cringe-worthy, and totally fearless!

Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “A tale of unlikely romance, impossible obstacles, and mortality, this book is a must-read.

Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Alice and Harvey’s relationship is raw, honest, moving, and unapologetic in its depiction of their individual, and collective, pain.

Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “A funny and touching novel about a strong-willed heroine who finds facing death simple, but facing life heart-wrenchingly complicated. A real original.

Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a funny, heartfelt, honest look at the beauty and the risk of getting a second chance. An inspiring novel about all the things worth living for. I adored this debut!

03/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Ramona Blue stands out in her tiny town of Eulogy, MS, not only because of her height (6'3") and her hair color (blue). She is also just one of two out lesbians in town. Comfortable in her own skin, Ramona does not question her sexuality—despite attempts from her absentee mother to set her "straight"—until her old childhood friend Freddie moves back to town. Unexpectedly drawn to Freddie, Ramona starts to rethink her identity. Is she gay? Bisexual? What she learns eventually is that labels are not important and that she is OK with figuring things out as she goes along. This atmospheric story unfolds slowly like the hot and humid days of the Deep South. Ramona is an immensely likable narrator; she's selfless, responsible, and earnest. When the possibility of a swimming scholarship to a community college arises, Ramona rejects the idea initially, as she plans to remain in her dilapidated trailer park home and waitress full-time in order to support her pregnant, unwed older sister. The well-drawn secondary characters who populate Ramona's world could have been clichéd and stereotypical but are instead given three-dimensional lives through believable dialogue and actions. VERDICT A must-have work that will resonate with teens, especially those questioning their sexual identities.—Melissa Kazan, Horace Mann School, NY

Ramona Blue loves the water, but between working several jobs and taking care of her pregnant sister, life is like trying to breathe in the deep end. And while Ramona has always identified as gay, she finds herself falling in love with her best guy friend. Narrator Thérèse Plummer’s folksy Southern accents are at home in this audiobook set in the small town of Eulogy, Mississippi, after Hurricane Katrina. Plummer offers up a variety of vocal twangs and pitches for the cast of friends and family who keep Ramona afloat during her senior year as she faces her biggest fear of all: change. This is a touching YA story about class, identity, and the people who help you keep your head above water. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

★ 2017-03-20
In Murphy's (Dumplin', 2015, etc.) third novel, a teenage girl navigates the complexities of romance and identity.Ramona "Blue" Leroux—6 foot 3, white, blue-haired, and gay—has always known who she is and where she is (or isn't) going. Living in a trailer in post-Katrina Eulogy, Mississippi, Ramona does her best to save and provide for her dad, older sister, Hattie, and soon-to-be niece. One of only three queer kids in town, she's always been sure she's attracted to women, and Ramona feels lucky that her coming-out experience was nothing more than "a blip." But this year, everything is changing. She's losing her sister to the coming baby and to Hattie's irresponsible, irritating baby-daddy, who has squeezed into their trailer. Her summer fling with closeted, white out-of-towner Grace may not withstand distance. And then Ramona's black childhood best friend, Freddie, unexpectedly moves back to Eulogy, and, as they reconnect through their shared history and a passion for swimming, she is surprised to find her desires and feelings for Freddie growing deeper. Ramona's first-person narration is tender and compelling, and the love she feels for the diverse cast of secondary characters is palpable. Murphy beautifully incorporates conversations about identity and diversity—including the policing of Freddie's black body, heteronormative expectations, and diverse sexualities (Ramona's white friend Ruth identifies herself explicitly as homoromantic demisexual)—with nuance and care. An exquisite, thoughtful exploration of the ties that bind and the fluidity of relationships, sexuality, and life. (Fiction. 14-adult)